Ornamental metal structure for personal wear



Oct. 21, 1930.

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l NVENTOR fnggnuel Papperf 7 7 ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 21, 1930 UNITED STATES EMANUEL IPAZPPERT, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ORNAMENTAL METAL STRUCTURE FOR PERSONAL WEAR Application filed February. 15,1929. Serial No. 840,041.

This invention relates to articles of personal wear and the like and particularly, to those intended for display on the person and therefore designed to be suitably ornamented.

My invention contemplates the provision of an ornamental or ornamented member preferably of metal and of means for protecting said member'against change in appearance, as for instance, scratching or tarnishing, and at the same time, preventing contact of the metallic member with the skin of the wearer while allowing the member to be.displayed as freely as though unprotected.

The various objects of my invention will be clear from the description which follow and from the drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 is a front vieW of part of an article of personal wear, such as the temple of a pair of spectacles, made in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a cross-section of the same.

Fig. 8 is a front view of a bracelet embodying my invention.

Fig. 4 is a side view, partly in section, of the same, and

Fig. 5 is a cross-section of a modified form of my invention.

In the practical embodiment of my invention which I have illustrated by way of example, I prefer to enclose a comparatively thin and narrow metallic strip as 10 which may be in the form of flat wire or a ribbon or band, within an enclosing member as 11, of a suitable nitro-cellulose composition such as celluloid, Xylonite, pyroxylin, orsimilar hard and flexible material. On that face 12 of the metallic strip 10 which is intended to be displayed or to be otherwise visible, I prefer to engrave or otherwise form suitable ornamentation as 13. The edges 14 of the strip 10 may also be similarly ornamented. I may also pierce the metal strip 10 in any suitable manner to form a pleasing open work design in a manner well known in the art.

The member 11 is preferably made of two solid pieces, 15 and 16, each having a suitable groove 17 therein into which the metal strip is set. Those surfaces of the members 15 and 16 which are designed to contact with each other or with the strip 10 are covered withv suitable cementing material, well known in the art, so that on the application of pressure to said members, the members are molded to the desired shape and become welded to each other and to the strip 10, the material of the member 15 entering into and mergingwith the irregularities of and the interstices of the ornamentation 13 on the faces 12 and 14 of the strip. In this manner, the metallic strip 10 and the nitro-cellulose composition-covering therefor are so united as to becomepractically a single piece of solid material, ready for immediate use as soon as the parts are properly united by the pressure applied thereto.

In the application of my invention to a temple for spectacles,'I prefer to make the outer member 15 transparent, so that the ornamentation 13 is readily visible therethro'u h. In this application of my invention, owever, the solid member 16 is made dark in color, so that the transparency of said member is lost and the metallic stri cannot be seen through said member 16. wing to the contrasting degrees of transparency, translucence or colors of the members 15 and 16, the solid transparent member 15 is itself hardly visible at all, but gives the impression to an observer of a gloss, sheen, or varnish applied to the ornamented surfaces of the strip 10;

In the application of my invention to a bracelet, wrist-watch band or the like, which may be of any usual form, such as of parts hinged together, the metallic strip 10 is preferably quite thin so as to be readily flexible, particularly when it is desired to use the bracelet for a wrist-watch.

The solid composition covering for the strip is, of course, quite flexible so that the bracelet may be flexed with the same ease as though it were made entirely of metal, as has heretofore been customary.

Referring to Fig. 5, I have there shown amodified form of my invention wherein a. hollow covering tube as 18 of celluloid, xylonite, pyrox lin or similar composition is used instead 0 the separate grooved members 15 and 16. In this form, the strip 19 is inserted into the tube and pressure and if necessary, heat applied to the tube to mold the tube to the desired shape and to substantially weld the strip to the tube.

In any case, I prefer to make the interior 5 metal strip of suitable metal such as nickelsilver which is not subject to corrosion by the constituents of the covering material 11. I further prefer to plate the strip with chr0- mium or with other suitable metal not affectedby the composition covering, and to polish the visible surfaces ofsaid strip so as to imparta high gloss thereto, though it w ll be understood that the polish may be omltted in cases where a dull finish is desired. When the member 15 or the tube 18 is made transparent, said member is hardly visible at all but the appearance of my improved article is such that the ornamentation l3 and the strip 10 appear to be substantially on the outside of the article but owing to the polish and gloss of the transparent covering member 15, the ornamentation presents a glossy or polished appearance even though the surface of the strip may not be polished at all.

It will be seen that by means of my new construction, an ornamented article such as a temple or lens frame for spectacles, bracelet, picture frame or the like, consisting partly *of metal may be made, simulating the appearance from the outside of a completely metallic article which is provided with a reflecting or polished surface.

The metal strip, nevertheless, while a parently exposed and uncovered, is entire y and permanently protected against the corrosive action of the atmosphere and cannot become discolored.

My invention is further particularly adapted for articles of personal wear in which it is undesirable that any metal come into direct contact with the skin of the wearer. By providing a permanent solid transparent covering for the metallic strip, the use of comparatively thin liquid coatings such as shellac, varnish, lacquer oi; the like with the imperfect protection afforded thereby and the disadvantages resulting therefrom are avoided, and the good appearance of the ornamentation on the metal is permanently preserved while contact of the metal with the skin, which might give rise to irritation and discoloration, is entirely prevented.

By ornamenting the surfaces of the metal strip'or piercing the strip with a suitable open work design, and making the adjacent covering member transparent, a great variety of ornamental effects may be obtained which are impossible with the metal alone or with the composition covering alone, and the disagreeable sensation of cold metal contacting with the skin is avoided. My invention may also be applied to other types of ornamented metal articles, such as icture frames, watch cases, vanity cases and t e like in order to preserve the ornamented surface of the article against injur and corrosion as will be preferred embodiments of my invention, I

do not wish to be understood as limiting myself thereto but intend to claim my invention as broadly as may be permitted by the state of the prior art and the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In an article of the character described, a metallic inner member, ornamentation presentin depressions and projections in the sur ace of said member and a transparent flexible member enclosing the metallic member and permanently secured thereto and comprising a transparent section forced into the depressions and through which said ornamentation is visible, and a second non-transparent section contrasting in shade with the first section, and preventing the metallic member from being seen therethrough, said article being bendable, and said sections being united at the edges thereof.

2. In an article of the character described, an ornamented flexible metallic member having surface depressions and projections and having apertures therethrough and a rotective cover of a nitro-cellulose composition secured about said member and forced into and about the depressions, roje'ctions and apertures and having at east one side thereof transparent, whereby the ornamentation on the ornamented member is permanently visible and permanently protected.

3. In an ornamented object including an ornamented member having an irregular surface, a transparent flexible member enclosing the ornamented member and having that portion adjacent the ornamented part of said ornamented member transparent, and forced into contact with said irregular surfaces, said members being permanently secured together under pressure.

4. In an article of the character described, an ornamented thin flexible interior member having perforations therein, and a solid transparent covering of a nitrocellulose composition cemented to said member under pressure and forced into the perforations and of substantially the same thickness as that of said member for imparting the appearance of a polish to said member, and providing a permanent and substantially 'invisible protecting cover for said member.

5. In an ornamental object designed for personal wear adjacent the skin of the user,

tions, and concealing the unornamented surfaces of the inner member, said covering members being grooved and joined at their edges by suitable cement.

6. In an ornamental object for wear adj acent the skin of the user, a comparatively thin inner flexible member provided with depressions, projections and apertures to form ornamentation, and a nitro-cellulose covering member forced into and around the depressions, projections and apertures and thereby united to the inner member to form a flexible structure maintaining the inner member from contact with the skin.

EMANUEL PAPPERT. 

